Identification of acetate-assimilating microorganisms under methanogenic conditions in anoxic rice field soil by comparative stable isotope probing of RNA

The assimilation of acetate generated in the anoxic rice field during the degradation of organic matter by microorganisms is studied using isotopes of carbon. The bacteria were found to utilize acetate under methanogenic conditions where carbon dioxide is the predominant electron acceptor on the polymerase chain reaction analysis of RNA isolated from the bacterial cells.